‘Het stoffige imago wat aan verzekeraars hangt, is écht niet onze realiteit’

‘The dusty image attached to insurers is really not our reality’

Communications adviser Inez Kruijswijk thinks about pensions every day. Not her own, but those of many of her colleagues. Because in the coming years, many colleagues will be leaving, not just at Athora, but across organisations as a whole. “The challenge is to attract good people and then retain them.”

When it comes to recruiting colleagues, Athora Netherlands has quite a few irons in the fire, Inez knows. “We have a beautiful head office in Amsterdam and a very nice office in Alkmaar. What I personally really like is that we are not a very large organisation, which means that as an employee you can really make a difference. At the same time, you feel that the work we do contributes something to society. Because retirement is a very important issue for every Dutch person. ”
Well regulatedAnother important aspect is hybrid working, mentioned at Athora PASS, which many organisations struggle with. How do you keep employees working in different locations, at varying times, in the office and from home, connected? And how do you collaborate properly and effectively? “That is really well organised here. We received the Leesman+ Award for this in April this year. That study compares working in offices worldwide and Athora Netherlands stood out because we have decorated our offices so well, very green, with nice furniture, with good facilities and IT facilities. It sounds crazy, but many organisations find that individual employees like their home working environment better than the employer's office. With us, both environments are actually very well rated. So our office really has something to offer.”

"Hybrid working is truly a differentiator"

Wrong imageYet in the outside world, there is often a very different image of insurers. That of a boring and stuffy working environment. For many people who come to apply, it is also often a surprise what they find at Athora. “That was also a bit true for myself. Before I walked in here, I had a different image anyway.’ And that's where the Employer Branding project comes in, to, among other things, convey the true image of the organisation to the outside world. “First of all, we conducted research into how employees experience our organisation. This showed that people are enthusiastic about the pleasant working atmosphere, good cooperation and work-life balance. Hybrid working is really a distinguishing factor in this respect.”
Every disadvantage has its advantageWe are currently working on a strategy to increase and target the labour market. Because while the Zwitserleven and Reaal brands enjoy great fame, Athora Netherlands is still relatively unknown. “Fortunately, our relative unfamiliarity in the labour market also has an advantage: namely, according to our rules, we can build a nice employer brand.”
The jobseeker of the future will soon get a much better insight into the organisation. “Initially, we are not so much concerned with recruiting more people yet, because at the moment we are still getting the vacancies filled well. But if we do start noticing shortages later on due to the outflow of colleagues retiring, we need to be ready to win the battle for talent. We therefore want to acquaint the outside world with our organisation and show what it is like inside our offices. By doing so, we show that the stiff and stuffy image attached to insurers is really not our reality.”

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